How to Print Gridlines in Excel

To print gridlines in Excel, select your worksheet, open Page Layout, and check Print under Gridlines. Open File > Print, inspect the preview, and select Print. On Windows, the gridline controls sit in the Sheet Options group.

These desktop steps apply to Excel for Microsoft 365 and Excel 2024 on Windows and Mac. Excel for the web cannot print native gridlines, but you can apply cell borders or open the workbook in desktop Excel.

Print gridlines on Windows or Mac

On Windows, click the worksheet tab you want to print, then open Page Layout. In Sheet Options, find Gridlines and check Print. If the ribbon boxes are unavailable because an object is selected, click a worksheet cell first.

Open File > Print, or press Ctrl + P, and inspect the preview before selecting Print. The checkbox applies to the selected worksheet. Lines visible while you edit do not automatically appear on paper.

To use the Windows dialog instead, open Page Layout and select the small Dialog Box Launcher in Page Setup. Select Sheet, check Gridlines under Print, and select OK. Open File > Print and select Print.

If you are already on the print screen, open File > Print > Page Setup > Sheet. Check Gridlines under Print and select OK. Inspect the preview, then select Print.

On Mac, select your worksheet and open Page Layout. Under Gridlines, check Print, then open File > Print. Choose your printer and select Print.

The Mac setting is also available through Page Layout > Page Setup > Sheet. Check Gridlines and select OK, then press Command + P. Choose your printer and select Print.

Print a grid from Excel for the web

Excel for the web does not support native gridline printing. Select the cells you want outlined and open Home > Font > Borders > All Borders. This adds printable borders as cell formatting.

Use Excel’s File > Print command rather than starting with your browser’s print command. Choose the print scope and select Print. Inspect the preview, then select Print again to complete printing.

For native gridlines, open Editing > Open in Desktop App, which requires an installed, licensed copy of desktop Excel. Once the workbook opens, enable Print under Gridlines on the Page Layout tab. Open File > Print and select Print.

Include empty cells in the printed grid

Without an explicit print area, native gridlines normally print around actual data. To include empty cells, enable printed gridlines and select the complete range you want on paper, including its blank rows and columns. On Windows, open Page Layout > Page Setup > Print Area > Set Print Area.

You can set a print area in Excel to define exactly which cells belong in the output, including its empty cells. Open File > Print, inspect the preview to confirm the empty cells have gridlines, and select Print. Setting a print area also lets you include empty cells on Mac.

Fix gridlines missing from the printout

Start by confirming that Print is checked under Gridlines for the worksheet you are printing. The View > Gridlines toggle controls screen display only. Turning it on does not enable printing.

Cell fill can hide gridlines, including white fill. Select the affected cells, open Home > Font, and select the arrow beside Fill Color. Choose No Fill, enable printed gridlines, and print again. Use cell borders instead if you need to keep the fill.

When printed gridlines are enabled but still missing, open File > Print > Page Setup > Sheet. Uncheck Draft quality and select OK. Inspect the preview before printing again; this troubleshooting route applies to Windows and Mac.

Use borders for thicker or customized lines

Borders let you print a grid around a specific range or keep lines visible over filled cells. On Windows, select the range and open Home > Font > Borders, then choose All Borders. Open File > Print and print the range or worksheet.

For more control on Windows, select your range and choose More Borders from the same menu. On Border, choose the line style and Color, then select Outline and Inside under Presets. Select OK, inspect the print preview, and print.

To thicken existing borders on Windows, right-click the selected cells and choose Format Cells > Border. Choose a thicker style under Line, reapply the required arrangement under Presets, and inspect the diagram. Select OK and print. Native gridlines do not have an equivalent thickness control.

On Mac, select your range and open Home > Font, then select the arrow beside Border. Choose a border arrangement, or select More Borders to configure individual edges and internal lines. Print through File > Print when the grid is ready.

If you have eligible Copilot access in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, Mac, or the web, select the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner. Choose Allow editing and submit a request specifying your range and borders around every cell. Review the resulting borders, then open File > Print to print.

Apply gridline printing to several worksheets

On Windows, hold Shift and click sheet tabs to select consecutive sheets, or hold Ctrl and click separate tabs. To select every sheet, right-click a sheet tab and choose Select All Sheets. Enable Print under Page Layout > Sheet Options > Gridlines, then print the selected sheets. After printing, right-click a selected sheet tab and choose Ungroup Sheets.

On Mac, open Page Layout and check Print under Gridlines on each sheet you want to print. Then hold Command and click separate tabs, or hold Shift and click consecutive tabs. You can also hold Control, click a sheet tab, and choose Select All Sheets. Print the selected sheets, then open a selected sheet tab’s context menu and choose Ungroup Sheets.

Save your worksheet with gridlines as a PDF

Enable printed gridlines or apply cell borders before creating the PDF. On Windows, open File > Save As or Save a copy, then choose PDF (*.pdf) under Save as type. Choose Standard (publishing online and printing) and select Save. Print the saved PDF when you need a paper copy.

On Mac, press Command + P and select Show Details to expand the print dialog when needed. Open PDF > Save as PDF and save the file. You can then print that PDF.

Keep gridline printing enabled in a template

On Windows, prepare a workbook with printed gridlines enabled on the required sheets, then open File > Save As. Choose Excel Template under Save as type and select Save to create a reusable starting file. For a default workbook template, save it as Book in the XLStart folder; use Sheet for a default worksheet template.

On Mac, prepare the workbook with printed gridlines enabled and open File > Save as Template. In Save As, enter Book and use Excel Template (.xltx). Save Book.xltx in ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Start-up/Excel, then close and reopen Excel.

Automate the gridline printing setting

With VBA available in desktop Excel on Windows or Mac, you can set the worksheet’s gridline printing property directly. Open the Visual Basic Editor, using Alt + F11 on Windows, then open View > Immediate Window. Enter the following command, replacing Sheet1 with your worksheet’s name, and press Enter. Return to Excel and print that worksheet.

Worksheets("Sheet1").PageSetup.PrintGridlines = True

Office Scripts offers another route when it is enabled in an eligible Excel for Microsoft 365 installation. It supports Windows Version 2210 or later and Mac; Personal and Family availability is in preview and requires joining the Microsoft 365 Insider program, and every edition needs connected experiences enabled. In Excel for the web, the script can prepare the setting, but you still need desktop Excel to print native gridlines.

Open Automate > New Script > Create in Code Editor and replace the code with the following script. Select Run, then print the worksheet in desktop Excel.

function main(workbook: ExcelScript.Workbook) { workbook.getActiveWorksheet().getPageLayout().setPrintGridlines(true); }

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a Windows keyboard shortcut for the gridline printing dialog?

With English ribbon access keys, press Alt + P, then S, then P to open Page Setup. Select Sheet, check Gridlines under Print, and select OK. Press Ctrl + P, inspect the preview, and select Print.

Can I enable gridlines while setting up repeating print titles?

Yes, on Windows, open Page Layout > Page Setup > Print Titles, then check Gridlines under Print on the Sheet tab. Repeating rows or columns is optional. Select OK, then open File > Print and select Print.

Can I draw a printable grid over cells instead of applying all borders?

Yes, on Windows, open the arrow beside Home > Borders and choose Draw Border Grid. Choose Line Color and Line Style from Borders as needed. Drag across the cells to draw the grid, then print.

Can I save custom border formatting as a cell style?

Yes, on Windows, open Home > Styles > Cell Styles > New Cell Style, enter a Style name, and select Format. On Border, choose the style, color, and required internal and external borders, then select OK and OK again. Select your target cells, apply the saved style through Home > Cell Styles, and print. You can also create custom border cell styles in current Mac editions.